Search results for "Gecko"
showing 3 items of 3 documents
Unusual change in activity pattern at cool temperature in a reptile (Sphenodon punctatus).
2014
Abstract Animals that can be active both during day and night offer unique opportunities to identify factors that influence activity pattern. By experimental manipulations of temperatures under constant photoperiod, we aimed to determine if emergence, activity and thermoregulatory behaviour of juvenile tuatara ( Sphenodon punctatus ) varied at different temperatures (20 °C, 12 °C and 5 °C). To help clarify its activity pattern, we compared tuatara with two lizard species endemic of the South Island of New Zealand for which activity pattern is known and clearly defined: the nocturnal common gecko Woodworthia “Otago/Southland” and the diurnal McCann׳s skink Oligosoma maccanni . Tuatara showed…
Spettro trofico di due popolazioni sinantropiche di geco comune, Tarentola mauritanica (Linnaeus, 1758), in Sicilia sud-occidentale
2017
The Moorish gecko (Tarentola mauritanica) is a lizard belonging to the Phyllodactylidae family, with circum-Mediterranean distribution. Despite the species is widespread in Sicily, there are very few studies on its feeding behaviour. This paper analyzes the diet of two synanthropic populations located in southwestern Sicily (province of Trapani) and exposed to different environmental conditions. Fecal remains were collected along the outer walls of an inhabited house in the coastal village of Triscina and in an uninhabited rural house, located near Castelvetrano town. The first study area has been constantly affected by artificial light sources, which are absent in the second study area. Re…
Numerical simulations demonstrate that the double tapering of the spatualae of lizards and insects maximize both detachment resistance and stability
2011
Many biological attachment devices of insects, spiders and geckos consist of arrays of hairs (setae), which are terminated by contact elements of different shapes. However, the most frequently observed shape is a thin plate-like spatula. In spite of a rather wide range of sizes, most spatulae of different animals are not uniform, but rather possess a gradient in thickness and width. Here we show that the spatulae of insects and geckos become gradually thinner and wider approaching the end. This geometrical effect is explained in the present paper, by using a numerical approach for the modelling of the van der Waals adhesion and friction between the contact elements and the substrate. The ap…